Cover Story
Cash grab: New Times breaks down the dollars pouring into the 24th Congressional District race
Everybody wants a piece of California’s 24th Congressional District. Last April, longtime Congresswoman Lois Capps announced that she would retire at the end of her term. Political jockeying and campaign fundraising didn’t hesitate. Within a few days of her announcement, contenders were already proclaiming their intentions to grab the seat, and additional candidates weren’t far…
Arroyo Grande mayor faces criticism for letter to FTC
Friction between the Mayor of Arroyo Grande and a City Council member has once again spilled out into the open. An email from Mayor Pro-Tem Barbara Harmon raised concerns after Mayor Jim Hill sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission regarding a vacant Haggen grocery store location in the city without notifying the council.…
Morro Bay faces hard decision on water reclamation facility
A recent upswell of opposition to a location being considered for Morro Bay’s water reclamation facility has city officials on the hot seat as they mull over their options. The city’s top pick for the project is agricultural land in the Morro Valley along Highway 41, but outcry from nearby residents is may complicate those…
Los Osos CSD suffers $500,000 shortfall, will consider rate hikes
The Los Osos Community Services District (LOCSD) has missed its revenue targets by $543,069 since 2014, a district management report finds. After commissioning a water rate study in 2014 and adopting a plan that mandated four years of rate hikes, the LOCSD predicted a 15 percent revenue boost for 2015-2016. Instead, LOCSD revenue fell 3.1…
If you could see any artist perform in SLO, who would it be?
Holly Gamblin student “I would want to see Mew, and I would want them to play their album ‘A Triumph For Man’ in its entirety.” Katie Whinnery student “I’d have to go with Passion Pit. They’re amazing!” Brynn Maddox retail clerk “Eminem would be awesome, especially if it was at a smaller venue than the…
‘Wit’ at SLO Little Theatre tackles cancer, life, and death
A comma—it’s just a pause separating one thought from the other, a breath in between the beginning and the end. But in that short breath, there’s much to be explored as Vivian Bearing, the protagonist in playwright Margaret Edison’s first and only play, the Pulitzer Prize winning Wit, finds out. Vivian is an academic, a…
Blast from the Past: Dolemite
What’s it rated? R | When? 1975. I’m gonna let ‘em know that Dolemite is back on the scene! I’m gonna let ‘em know that Dolemite is my name, and fuckin’ up motherfuckers is my game!” There are a lot of great Blaxploitation films out there. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), Superfly (1972), Shaft (1971),…
Treat mom to some comedy at the SeaCrest in Pismo
Your mom brought you into this world and put up with your crap for 18-plus years, the least you can do is bring a smile to her face this Mother’s Day. Give your mom the gift of laughter by taking her to the Mother’s Day Standup Comedy Show on Sunday, May 8, in the Pacific…
Locked up: A tour of the SLO County jail
The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the SLO County Jail on April 28, was the smell. It was a mix of the antiseptic cleaning chemicals and the organic scent that exists when large numbers of humans are forced to live within a confined space. It was nearing lunchtime when I walked in,…
Jenny Kendler brings the wild to art in her SLOMA exhibit Bewilder | Be Wilder
From the moment she uttered her first word, “picture,” it was clear Jenny Kendler would be an artist. Growing up in Virginia, Kendler spent her childhood digging up worms and picking flowers to be pressed. Her Californian parents made sure their home had solar panels, and vacations were spent in sunny San Luis Obispo visiting…
Mayer Hawthorne brings his blue-eyed soul to Fremont Theatre
It starts with a classic ’60s Motown opening, the bada-boom-boom drum with tight guitar and organ riff. Then the falsetto back-up voices singing “so long you did me wrong; so long you did me wrong” come in before Mayer Hawthorne’s smooth, soul voice croons, “Baby, what you’re doing now, you’re pissin’ me off. Mmm. But…
Clubs 5/5/16 – 5/12/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
Stanger’s 2009 Master Blend and Le Vigne Winery’s 2013 Central Coast Chardonnay
Life is all about quality, not quantity, right? The same goes for good wine. Although I tasted just two releases from Stanger Vineyards’ luscious lineup recently, I came away feeling like I had experienced something very special. I visited the Creston Road tasting room, where the golden property is speckled with antique farm equipment and…
Grubbin’
A newcomer to the nosh pit: Formerly of farm-to-table hot spot Camino in Oakland, Chef Tim Veatch knows how to dance with Mother Nature. I for one am very excited to say that he’s now creating uber seasonal dishes at Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, which is currently gearing up to open a San…
Distilling their craft: High-proof fun awaits at KROBĀR tasting room in Paso Robles
How many stories can a single oak tree hold? When you slice into its core and count the rings, do you unleash its essence? Once crafted into a barrel and loaded with whiskey or gin, does that story transfer to the bottle? Wooden warmth permeates the KROBĀR Craft Distillery tasting room. It’s in the shellacked,…
Money talks, empty pockets walk
Our 24th District Congressional Rep. Lois Capps is super nice. In fact, she’s so nice that she was named the nicest member of Congress in 2006 by The Washingtonian magazine’s “Best and Worst of Congress” poll of congressional staffers. Her pops was a Lutheran minister and she was a school nurse, which just adds to…
Katcho for Congress
I visited Katcho Achadjian as part of the California Association of Realtors Legislative Day, April 27, in Sacramento. About 25 of us from the district gathered to discuss the most pressing bills to Achadjian. His responses were just amazing and reminded us all that he is a firm believer in the American Dream and works…
Vote for progressive values in California’s primary
California’s primary June 7 is now a forgone conclusion. The presidential candidates have been winnowed from 23 to five, and of those five, two are presumptive winners. Our votes will not affect the winners; we will not choose our party’s nominee. So be it. We must vote! There are other issues and candidates to vote…
Vote for Arnold!
As someone who works in the agriculture industry, I can tell you that those of us within the community are feeling left behind by our elected officials. Water restrictions, outrageous regulations, and high taxes are stifling our local economy and smothering job creation. That is why I support leaders, like supervisor and family rancher Debbie…
Vote for Michielssen!
Eric Michielssen is the man for the job: I attended the 5th District supervisor debate a few weeks ago. I was extremely impressed with Eric Michielssen. He delivered clear, thoughtful, substantial answers to the many questions ranging from affordable housing, schools and youth programs, the economy, the Phillips 66 issue, the Santa Margarita Quarry, water…
Democracy needs an educated electorate
Democracy is a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them. With this power comes the responsibility to be an informed electorate. Studies have demonstrated that a politically knowledgeable electorate accepts democratic principles, understands important issues, and considers voting a civic responsibility. According…
Tallley Farms’ Fresh Harvest Program brings the bounty to your door
Talley Farms is known for shipping wholesale crops across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Particularly bell peppers, of which the company can expect to ship up to 12,000 boxes per day at peak season, according to Andrea Chavez, manager of Talley Farm’s Fresh Harvest program. But they also sell directly to the consumer. Customers…
Cougars & Mustangs
Dead week approaches for the Cuesta Cougars. So close to the end of their schooling, said schooling throws everything it has in their way to try and stop them. It may seem as though this implies that their college wants nothing more than to fail them, but this is not true. The climax of a…
Grover Beach clears out another homeless camp, looks for solutions to a lack of housing
Eviction prevention is something the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition is hearing about a lot right now—from senior citizens, people on fixed incomes such as disability, and single-parent families. Executive Director Janna Nichols said that in the first quarter of this year, the organization received triple the requests for service as it did in 2015 for…
New Times brings home awards from Better Newspaper Contest
New Times took home five awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2015 Better Newspapers Contest. The awards were announced during a press summit in San Francisco April 30. Editor Camillia Lanham’s story outlining different styles of dry-farming used by vineyards on the Central Coast, “Vines by nature” (May 21, 2015), received a second place…
SLO City Council approves The Rock, again
Live music fans, concerned residents, and the SLO City Council experienced a bit of déjà vu on May 3 when the council reheard staff report and public testimony two weeks after hearing it the first time. City staff discovered they failed to notice the project’s neighbors before the April 19 meeting where the council approved…
Oil companies sued for allegedly polluting Santa Margarita Ranch
A local developer and land owner filed a lawsuit against Phillips 66 and several other oil companies after he says their leaking pipelines may have contaminated soil and groundwater in a section of the historic Santa Margarita Ranch. Located just 6 miles north of SLO, the historic ranch’s origins date as far back as 1774.…
Grover Beach feeling impact of Proposition 47
Grover Beach police are attributing a rise in the number of certain crimes last year to the implementation of the state’s voter-approved realignment of criminal sentencing. An annual report from the Grover Beach Police Department indicated crimes such as auto thefts, petty thefts, and narcotics arrests increased from the previous years, and suggested that the…
